Sally Gillespie

Sally Gillespie

2020 so far has been a year of shocks for Australia, starting with devastating droughts and bushfires, followed by storms and floods, and now a global pandemic. My calendar says it’s May but it feels more like the end of an era, as well as the beginning of a new one. My hope is that this new era will be founded upon a greater awareness, care and respect for our natural world, as we learn from our current crop of disasters just how the high costs are of ecological destructions.

The common thread that joins all of 2020’s disasters is the disruption of our natural world. Global warming combined with massive forest clearing creates more droughts. Hotter and drier climates prolong and intensify bushfire seasons. They also warm seas creating intense storm cells. Meantime rainforest clearing destroys wildlife habitat. The surviving animals are sickened and driven into closer proximity to urban areas where animal to human transmission of viruses occur, such as COVID19.

If we want healthier and safer lives, we all need to become advocates for greater environmental protections and climate action. And no time is more important to do this, than right now when we are at the crossroads of change. Plans for economic recovery from the successive blows of drought, bushfire and COVID19, need to address the root causes of such disasters by prioritising support for renewable energies, sustainable industries and regenerative agriculture. Otherwise we will be caught in a treadmill of worsening catastrophes.

The most important factor in bringing about a groundswell of support and advocacy for environmental care is the campaigning work of citizens and communities. We cannot erase the pain of all that has been lost this year, but what we can do is honour our grief and draw upon it to lessen the risk of environmentally-driven disasters, and to create more resilient communities. Here are 5 suggestions for actions you, and your family and friends, can do from home to create a safer, and more beautiful, future.

 

  1. Get acquainted with the climate facts. Go to The Climate Council for reliable evidence-based information. Subscribe to Yale Climate Connections free online newsletter for research based stories, watch the Australian movie 2040 for inspiration along with the facts.

 

  1. . Be a positive influencer for cultural change by posting inspiring green news on your social media. Good sources for stories include @EcologicalConsciousness, Jamie Durie’s Groundswell (@jdgroundswell), @EarthDayNetwork or @Renew_Economy on Facebook or Instagram.

 

  1. Join up with an environmental campaign group that appeals to you. Check out the great communities at Australian Parents for Climate Action or 1 Million Women, a social movement which empowers women to take climate action at every level of our lives

 

  1. .Email your local State and Federal politicians about what environmental action and protections you want them to support, and which policies you oppose, such as logging old growth forests or new fracking and coal mining projects. Letters and submissions from voters, especially voters in their electorates, do influence politicians’ decisions.

 

  1. Make time to have conversations with friends and family about how they feel about climate crisis and action.  These conversations can be both tricky and fruitful. Psychology for a Safe Climate makes great suggestions on how to go about this in their free guides Let’s speak about climate change and Facing the heat: Stories of climate change conversations. Supportive, honest conversations like these build connection and action.

 

You may also like to read:

5 reasons why your family food garden doesn’t survive

Getting Back to Nature